WikiLeaks: guilty parties 'should face death penalty'

Leading US political figures have called for the death penalty to be imposed
on the person who leaked sensitive documents to whistle-blower website
WikiLeaks as anger intensified against those responsible for the
international relations crisis.

Chief suspect Bradley ManningPhoto: AFP/GETTY IMAGES

By Nick Collins

9:30AM GMT 01 Dec 2010

Former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and ex-Pentagon official KT McFarland were among those claiming the guilty party should face execution for putting national security at risk by leaking the inflammatory information.

Mr Huckabee, who is believed to be ready to renew his candidacy for the next presidential election, said responsible for the leak should be sentenced to death.

He said: “They’ve put American lives at risk ... They put relationships that will take decades to rebuild at risk. They knew full well that they were handling sensitive documents, they were entrusted.

"Any lives they endangered, they’re personally responsible for and the blood is on their hands.”

KT McFarland, who held national security posts under the Nixon, Ford and Reagan governments, backed the calls, saying Private Bradley Manning – the chief suspect of leaking the files – should face treason charges and possible execution.

Pvt Manning, who is in prison accused of passing a quarter of a million sensitive papers to WikiLeaks, is currently charged with transferring classified data and “delivering national defence information to an unauthorised source".

Writing on the Fox News website, Ms McFarland said: "It's time to up the charges. Let's charge him and try him for treason. If he's found guilty, he should be executed."

She also called for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face terror charges, claiming: "He’s waging cyberwar on the United States and the global world order. Mr. Assange and his fellow hackers are terrorists and should be prosecuted as such."

The comments came as a former adviser to Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister, suggested a different solution to the international diplomatic crisis – assassinating Mr Assange.

Prof Tom Flanagan said Barack Obama should “put out a contract and maybe use a drone or something” to rid the world of Mr Assange.

As the anchor on the CBC news programme warned him that his comments were “pretty harsh stuff”, Prof Flanagan responded that he was “feeling very manly today”.

He rounded off his interview by claiming the leak of the documents could "conceivably lead to war," adding: “I wouldn’t feel unhappy if Assange disappeared.”

Prof Flanagan was speaking on Tuesday evening, after the second day of WikiLeaks revelations from US State Department documents.

Interpol has issued a “Red Notice” alert for Mr Assange, in relation to two rape charges issued by Swedish police.